


Come closer and see, see into the trees

by moonlit_macadam



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Spellwell - Freeform, part 3? never heard of her, post part 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23810452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlit_macadam/pseuds/moonlit_macadam
Summary: "You're a witch." It was not a question.
Relationships: Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Come closer and see, see into the trees

Mary Wardwell was going home from her day’s work at Baxter High. It had been a taxing day, but then again, so were most of her days as of late. Several months of her life were missing from her memory, and that was about all she could think of all day. It was not as bad when she was at work, where she found some sense of purpose in teaching her students, which is why she left for school early in the morning and did not leave until late in the evening.

The nights she spent in her cottage at the edge of the woods were the worst. There, alone with her thoughts and nightmares and some clothes in her closet that she did not remember buying, she would lose touch with reality completely, and that she was afraid of. So she had taken to going for walks in the woods after her school day, since the weather had started going mild again, for she had seemingly been absent to the world all through the winter. Those walks were the only moment when she could let her thoughts run freely without her being drowned by them. At work, she kept herself distracted enough that there was no space in her mind left for nightmare-fuelled anxiety. At home, there was no escaping the crushing weight of her unexplained absence. But in the woods, she could witness her thoughts pass by, in time with her steps.

That evening, she had indulged in one of those long walks, and since the spring equinox was approaching and the clocks had recently been put forward, she decided to enjoy the daylight and stay outside even later.

Lost in thought, it took her a moment to register the low hum that travelled through the trees and reached her ears faintly. She followed the sound, unconsciously at first, and then, intrigued, began to actively seek out its source. As she got closer, she could make out a voice speaking indistinctly, and closer still, she could hear the wind blowing. She felt the air change around her as well, as if charged with static electricity, vibrating almost, to the point where Mary wondered if a storm was about to break.

Still, she carried on walking, and there, in a small clearing, she saw _her_. She was able to identify Zelda Spellman almost straight away, although she had only seen her a few times in the past. The redhead was kneeling in the dead leaves covering the forest floor, uttering words Mary could only dream of understanding, with her eyes closed and her arms reaching up towards the dusky sky.

Mary stayed back and watched silently, letting her finish what she was doing. She was struck with awe for an instant but also felt a sense of peace grow within her, which she had been lacking completely for the last few weeks. She found, to her own surprise, that she was not afraid of what was unfolding in front of her. She could not understand the words that left Zelda’s mouth, but her intent seemed palpable somehow – not threatening. Protective.

Zelda fell silent then, and the crackling in the air subsided. Everything fell back into place, and Mary did not dare move, not because she was afraid, but because she was entranced. Hell, she was feeling alive and well for the first time in so long that she refused to go back into her waking dream, to go back to the empty life she had been leading in her remote cottage, where she lay awake at night pondering over the holes in her own narrative.

The witch opened her eyes, stood up again, and took in her surroundings, as if looking for signs that her spell had worked, that she still held within her the power which had only recently been given back to her, and which she so desperately held onto, and that she was still able to protect her family and her coven, especially since she had appointed herself High Priestess of the Church Of Lilith. Her eyes finally settled on Mary.

She was taken aback by this unwanted presence and, in her lingering magical haze, she could not find any appropriate response.

“You’re a witch.”

It was not a question, and yet the words were spoken without hostility.

Zelda could still not find anything to say. There was no point lying at this point, after what Mary had seen, but she could not bring herself to confirm the other woman’s assumption either. The distrust she held towards mortals – which had lately been extended to everyone outside her own family – was too deeply rooted and had shaped too much of her life for her to open up to this stranger.

“I’ve always thought witches were real, but I didn’t know there were some of you left in Greendale after what happened to the Thirteen”, Mary carried on.

Snapping out of her stupor, Zelda took a few steps towards the mortal and started reaching out towards her face. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to wipe your memory out.” Her words and movements were quick and hectic; she seemed breathless, Mary thought, in a panic.

Mary caught Zelda’s wrists when her hands were about to reach her temples.

“Don’t, please”, she said. “I’m already missing so many of my memories. I don’t think I can bear living any more in the dark than I already am.”

At that point, for the first time of the evening, Mary was afraid. Her eyes were wide and filled with terror at the prospect of losing more of her memories – and possibly of her sanity.

Zelda did stop then, and considered her options. “I don’t know what else to do”, she admitted.

She knew all too well what it was like to lose control of her own life, and that was something she would not wish upon her worst enemy, and even less upon the poor teacher who had already suffered enough for the sake of the witch world, if truth be told.

“Then don’t do anything”, Mary answered pleadingly. “I wish you no harm, and as I said before I’ve always believed witches were real. I’ve studied Greendale history for so long. It doesn’t hurt that there’s something I know for once, something I’m sure of. You can rest assured, I won’t tell anyone.”

She let go of Zelda’s arms before adding with a dry laugh: “No one would believe me anyway, the whole town thinks I’ve gone mad and, honestly, I can’t blame them,” she shrugged.

Mary hated that she was rambling, so she tried to put an end to the situation. “Anyway, it’s starting to get quite dark and I think I should head home now, if you’ll let me...” Zelda was looking at her intently.

“Of course.” Her tone was softer now, and her speech less hurried. “Ms Wardwell, may I walk you home? You must have questions, and I did not even introduce myself properly.”

“Well, I know your name and that you’re Sabrina’s aunt, but I admit I do have a few questions about what exactly I just witnessed.”

They started walking back towards Mary’s house, and Zelda was already trying very hard to convince herself that she was merely going to keep an eye on the mortal woman, that her interest in her was self-serving rather than genuine and that she was doing this only because the safety of the coven was at stake.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of Spellwell feels and felt the need to share!
> 
> I hope you liked this first chapter. I'm planning on carrying on with this but I write slowly and double check everything because I'm never confident what I'm doing is good enough. Also I have no motivation whatsoever at the moment, so don't expect any sort of regularity in the updates.  
> The rating is likely to change for future chapters.
> 
> The title is a line from A Forest by The Cure.
> 
> Thank you for reading; any feedback is most welcome, kudos and comments really make my day, because I crave that sweet validation. <3


End file.
